The Rita Zovetta (1924)

A 1924 hurricane brought this 360 foot Italian cargo ship to rest in 20-70 feet of water off of St. David's Island to the south east of the St. David’s Lighthouse, adjacent to the Pelinaion. She was carrying a cargo of manganese ore from western Africa bound for Baltimore, Maryland.

A fairly modern steel ship many parts of her are relatively intact including the stern and the boilers and the remains of her hull go down the reef from 20 to 70 feet on the outside of the breakers.

The Wreck is very popular with underwater photographers because of the large amount of semi penetrable hull still in evidence attracting large numbers of fish.

This wreck is buoyed under the Bermuda Dive Sites program established by the Marine Environmental Committee of the Bermuda National Trust in association with the Ministry of the Environment and is a protected site with a 300m no fishing limitation.

The Rita appeared in the Bermuda Sun Unprotected Historic Wrecks List submitted by the Receiver of Wreck in October 1977.

Both the Rita and the Pelinaion were salvaged for scrap non-ferrous metals (brass copper pipes condensers etc) after World War II by Conga Fox, Bobby and Donald Canton and Teddy Tucker and others from 1948 into the 1960's.